


Letters

by Aleko



Category: Octopath Traveler (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Banter spoiler, Comfort?, F/M, Love Triangles, M/M, One Shot, One-Sided Attraction, Side Quests spoilers, Unrequited Love, no happy ending, not much but there is something I guess?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-23
Updated: 2018-08-23
Packaged: 2019-07-01 06:55:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15768900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aleko/pseuds/Aleko
Summary: “So, what’s happening with that Zeph guy?”“Straight to the problem, I see. It’s funny, because my problem is not being straight.”“No shit. I would have never realized it by myself. I meant if you were boyfriends or something.”“No, I just thought, y’know, that he felt the same way about me. Guess not. Not really surprising, Mercedes is great and you saw how beautiful she is. I’m happy if he’s happy and I know Mercedes is perfect for him. It’s useless getting bothered by it.”





	Letters

**Author's Note:**

> Can you feel my pain? Can you feel it?  
> I picked Alfyn to be my main and I got terribly attached to him, and the relationship he has with Zeph screams gay but then I found this side quest and I got terribly sad thinking about my poor boy Alfyn. I swear my heart ached through all the side quest, holy shit. So this was born.  
> And the Therion thing is because I also ship them, so...  
> Enjoy?

  
Alfyn looked down at the letter on his hands and felt his stomach twist. It was his chance to fix his slip from eight years ago. He looked up to see Therion’s poker face, who was watching him as waiting for something. And Alfyn knew he was waiting a ‘thank you’ but he wasn’t sure he was thankful for what they were going to do.  
  
In the envelope there was a single word written down: Mercedes.  
  
Alfyn looked back at the letter once again to make sure it was for their childhood friend, and sighed. So, Zeph still was in love with her, really? It was kind of cute, something that fitted Zeph, Alfyn knew.  
  
After eight years someone would suppose his heart had had stopped beating for the girl, that things had changed, but Alfyn hadn’t had that luck.  
  
He sighed as he tucked the letter on his satchel, on _Zeph’s satchel_. Therion still looked at him with an indecipherable face, and lifted his only visible eyebrow when Alfyn started walking and patted his shoulder as he headed to Gods knew where.  
  
Therion had talked with a little girl that said she was Zeph’s little sister, and she told him how his big brother still had that Mercedes girl on his mind. So he thought it was a good idea to steal the letter for Alfyn to finally deliver it, as he had told him and H’aanit about how he forgot to do it when Mercedes actually left the small town.  
  
But instead of a bright smile for the second opportunity, he got only a sigh? Although he couldn’t say he was surprised, just… disappointed. 

  
…  


  
Alfyn stared at the river under the bridge, watching the water flow. Months of travelling had passed but the fresh air and the soft murmur of the water were the same as the day he left Clearbrook to become like the apothecary that saved his life… Yet, his heart was filled with very different emotions as he gripped the satchel’s strap like his life depended on it.  
  
The stars above him, though really beautiful, couldn’t cheer him up like they used to do.  
  
Why did he have to fall in love with Zeph? And he even dared to think that Zeph would return his feelings. That day, on the cemetery, when he gave Alfyn the satchel, it was like a promise that he stupidly took as a romantic one. But the letter proved him wrong. The letter that weighed like an anvil and that wasn’t addressed to him.  
  
He buried his face on his hands, resting his elbows on the bridge. How delusional he had been, how many nights he had spent thinking about returning home and confessing, how many fantasies of embracing Zeph and laughing together. All of that was a lie.  
  
But he knew they would go to Atlasdam, find Mercedes on the library and he would give her the letter.  
  
He wouldn’t repeat his mistake.  
  
He just wanted his friends to be happy.  
  
Now, they could have the relationship he prevented on an accident.  
  
And that was fine.  
  
However, his heart didn’t felt that fine. Tears were running down his cheeks and quiet sobs and whimpers shook his body.  
  
“Shucks… I’m crying.” He muttered with a broken voice.  
  
Trying to stop crying, he cleaned his face with sleeve. He couldn’t let that depressing thoughts get the best out of him. He looked up at the stars and took a deep breath. The forced smile he tried to put on his face was crooked but at least it was a smile, right?  
  
“Alfyn!” The voice of Tressa called him from the inn’s door.  
  
“Coming!”  
  
They had to plan their next travel, so Alfyn smiled his best smile not to worry anyone inside the inn.  
  
When he got inside, Tressa pushed him playfully to a free chair around the big table where the map was open. There, Olberic started to point some towns on the way to Wispermill, where they were needed to take care of some huge wolf or something like that. Alfyn tried but couldn’t listen as his mind wandered from Olberic’s words to look at the little drawing of Atlasdam, where they surely had to make a stop.  
  
“… fyn… Alfyn… Alfyn!” He was brought to reality by Ophilia’s voice, who had a worried frown on her face.  
  
“Oh, sorry.” He laughed a bit, feeling increasingly uncomfortable by everyone’s stares on him. “I got distracted, what did you want?”  
  
“I asked you if you needed to stop in any special place to replenish your herbs.” Ophilia answered gently. “But are you all right? You seem sad…”  
  
Was it really this obvious? Alfyn smiled more as he rubbed the back of his neck, to fake nonchalance.  
  
“Yep, I’m a bit tired but it’s nothing a good night of sleep can’t fix! Also, I have enough of everything for now, so there’s no need to get away from our main path.” He said.  
  
Ophilia nodded at him slowly, clearly still worried.  
  
Alfyn focused once again in the map and Olberic started to talk again, with Cyrus helping him by reminding him tasks they had at hands. Alfyn absentmindedly touched his satchel as his mind started to wander off again to Zeph and Mercedes.  
  
On the table worried side glances were exchanged in silence. Primrose looked at Alfyn with sad eyes, and then she looked at Therion, who sent her a knowing stare. Tressa and Cyrus didn’t seem to notice anything, but H’aanit was also analyzing their friend slowly and Ophilia still had concern on her face. Olberic only glanced at him sometimes, noticing how he was drifting away from the explanation once again.  
  
When the planning ended, they went to their rooms, leaving Alfyn to sleep on his home alone. And they talked about him, but there was nothing the could truly do.

  
…  


  
Alfyn sighed when they reached the sign that indicated Atlasdam way. They were near.

  
…  


  
Alfyn finally reached the library of Atlasdam with Primrose and Therion. Everyone else had something else to do in the town, so they were the only three that decided to go fill the task of Zeph’s little sister.  
  
They got inside and there was Mercedes. She was beautiful, Alfyn thought. They would make a nice couple. And she was Zeph’s love interest to begin with, what is way more than what he could say about the fictitious relationship he made up on his head during his travels. He felt himself freezing where he stood, overwhelmed. Until he felt the rash bump of Therion’s shoulder against his body as Therion didn’t stop with him.  
  
He sent Alfyn a glare and kept walking which somehow made him start moving too. He felt Primrose’s presence by his side too, and it was kind of comforting.  
  
He swallowed as he offered the letter to the girl on the other side of the reception desk.  
  
Alfyn watched her eyes change and shine as she read through the letter; he saw the small smile on her lips growing. She loved him too. She was so happy. She hugged the letter when she finished reading and told them about a letter that she also wrote being inside a book and before Alfyn could blink, Therion had it on his hands and was looking at him outside the library.  
  
He looked at the streets. Where did Primrose go? Why did everything felt so mechanical? He barely felt his fingertips. The only thing that seemed to ground him to reality was the intense glare Therion was giving him.  
  
“Before I give you this letter I want to have a talk with you.”  
  
Therion started walking to the main square without a warning, but Alfyn followed him anyways. His mind was swirling with so many emotions he didn’t want to feel anything. When they stopped in front of the tavern, he was relieved. A good drink was going to help him, surely.  
  
Inside, Alfyn sat down on a free table and waited for Therion to bring their drinks. When he did, he took a quick sniff at it.  
  
“It’s a strong one, uh? Didn’t know you want me to get drunk.” Therion huffed before taking a sip of the mug.  
  
“So, what’s happening with that Zeph guy?” Alfyn’s smile quickly disappeared and he took a long gulp.  
  
“Straight to the problem, I see. It’s funny, because my problem is not being straight.” Alfyn giggled tiredly and Therion looked unimpressed.  
  
“No shit. I would have never realized it by myself.” He commented sarcastically and he still looked at him non-stop. Alfyn wiggled on his seat, growing uncomfortable at the scrutinizing before Therion lifted his eyes from him and took another sip, looking somewhere else. “I meant if you were boyfriends or something.”  
  
The surprise of the question took him taking a drink of his mug, so he nearly chocked and shook his head, fast at first and slowed at the end, focusing his gaze on the bottom of the mug.  
  
“No, I just thought, y’know, that he felt the same way about me. Guess not. Not really surprising, Mercedes is great and you saw how beautiful she is.” Therion remained in silence, looking sideways at him. “I’m happy if he’s happy and I know Mercedes is perfect for him. It’s useless getting bothered by it.”  
  
“But you are.”  
  
“I… Yeah. I suppose I am.” He confessed and took a long drink to soothe the knot that was forming on his throat with contained tears. “I know I shouldn’t get hurt, we’re only friends but…” Another sip from his mug. “I suppose I thought that when I came back to Clearbrook we could be together.”  
  
“Don’t you hate Mercedes?”  
  
“What?” Alfyn blinked confused at the question. “No, why would I? She’s my friend too. It’s not her fault that Zeph loves her. She doesn’t mean ill.”  
  
Therion hummed. Alfyn never ceased to surprise him with his kind nature. It made him feel warm.  
  
“Are you going to give Zeph this letter?”  
  
“Yes. It’s the right thing to do. I can’t be the one that comes in between their happiness.”  
  
“What about your happiness?” Alfyn face turned surprised, as if his happiness didn't matter even the slightlest, and Therion rolled his eyes.  
  
“M-my…? I’ll be okay, Therion. It’s not the end of the world.” Alfyn’s sad smile fooled no one, but Therion let it pass.  
  
“Whatever you want, medicine man.”  
  
Therion finished his drink in a long gulp and got up the chair, leaving some leafs on the table and left Alfyn alone, who just looked down at his drink and chewed the insides of his cheeks, trying to drown the sadness bubbling inside him.

  
…  


  
Coming back to Clearbrook from Wispermill took a long time that Alfyn spent busying himself with anything, from giving an absurd amount of care to even the smallest scratches on his companions to collecting rocks that looked funny (and that Tressa and him would throw to the river later for fun). However, the constant glances from Therion were making him more nervous. One day, he tried to talk about it with Primrose, who also seemed to look more after him.  
  
“He’s worried.” She said to him. “And I think he has some hopes now.”  
  
He asked ‘Hopes on what?’ but she only smiled at him and ruffled his hair before leaving to walk by Ophilia and H’aanit’s side.  
  
With each step that neared them to Clearbrook seemed to put another weight on the satchel’s pocket where he had Mercedes’ letter.  
  
When he saw Zeph outside his house taking a break, his hands started to sweat. This time, everyone was with him. He handed Zeph the envelope and when he saw it was from Mercedes, Alfyn saw love in his eyes, and he realized that amazing glint never shone for him before and that it would never shine for him.  
  
The smile that appeared on Zeph face was so similar yet so different from the ones he ever received. The soft blush on his checks was breath-taking and he knew that the only way he could see it was because of her. He clenched his hands open and close once, and again, and again.  
  
Then, Zeph thanked him for finally giving her the letter. He said he knew Alfyn was the **best friend** that he could ask for, and Alfyn could only force a broken smile and give him a little nod, knowing his voice wouldn’t come out as he wanted.  
  
“Zeph!” A feminine voice shouted from their backs and they all turned to see Mercedes running to them.  
  
“Mercedes?!” Zeph also started running, letter in hand, towards her and lifted her when he could pick her, laughing and hugging her shortly after.  
  
It was like a scene from a romantic book and Alfyn couldn’t take it anymore. He felt the tears running wild down his cheeks.  
  
He should be happy. He should be proud of them. Why isn’t him happy for them? Why he had to feel miserable?! How unfair. He sniffed.  
  
“Alfyn… Are you ok?” Tressa asked quietly as she touched his arm softly.  
  
“Yeah!” He said cheerfully. “These are tears of joy! Look at them, they’re so in love… He…”  
  
_‘He’s not in love with me’_ , he thought for the umpteenth time this last time. _‘We’re just friends, of course we’re just best friends’_.  
  
He wanted to be happy with them, he wanted to smile with tenderness. Why his heart insisted on cracking inside his chest?  
  
Then, Zeph and Mercedes pecked at each other’s lips softly.  
  
Then, Alfyn turned to leave to his home.  
  
Everyone was left there, looking between the heartbroken apothecary and the joyful couple.  
  
Primrose softly pushed Therion in the direction where Alfyn had left, talking to him with her eyes. _‘Go with him’_. Therion looked hesitantly at her at first, but then sighed and followed him into the empty house.  
  
He closed softly the door behind his back and Alfyn just looked at him from the bed between tears. The depressing sight tore Therion’s heart. Silently, he just sat by his side to be soon engulfed on a hug.  
  
Alfyn’s crying got louder and Therion returned the affection, wishing they were under another circunstances.  
  
“I don’t w-want to feel like… like this but I- I just can’t help it!” Alfyn said against Therion’s neck, wetting his scarf. “He… He’s just this perfect! And I love him so much! And he… he…”  
  
Therion felt himself getting near to tear up too, but he had to be strong for him.  
  
“I’m… He’s… My chest hurts so much, Therion.” Therion knew it, and knew the heartbreak too well.   
They stayed like that for a bunch of minutes, Therion tracing soft circles in his back, trying to calm down Alfyn who seemed to have endless tears.  
  
“Have… Have you been in this s-situation too…? Where your loved o-one is just, in love with another… person?” Alfyn looked up at him with eyes filled with tears and Therion had just to wait a second for the lump on his throat to disappear.  
  
He caressed Alfyn’s cheek in an attempt to erase the tears. They didn’t fit someone like Alfyn. But it was futile as new tears replaced the old ones.  
  
“Yeah. I know how it feels.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!


End file.
